Safety attachment for billfolds



March 9, 1 43.- H. E.'STONEBRAKER 2,437,566

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR BILLFQLDS Filed Nov. 15, 1945 Patented Mar. 9, 1948 SAFETY ATTAC i 1 NT FOR :BILLFOLDS Harold E. Stonebraker, Rochester, N. Y.

Applicatien November 15, 19.45, :Serial :N 0. 628,833

1 Claim. 1

Thisinvention relates to a billfold attachment and has for its purpose to afford a simple, inexpensive, and practical device for retaining a billfo'ld in a trousers pocket and preventing accidental or unauthorized removal of the billfold.

More particularly, the invention has for its object to afford locking means that does not interfere with the conventional use of a billfold and which automatically adjusts itself to locking position as the 'billfold is inserted into a pocket, engaging the side walls of the pocket and preventing removal of the billfold until the lock-' ing means is actuated to releasing position.

The invention has for another purpose to afford an attachment that is particularly adapted to the type of billfold which includes two sections foldab'le one upon the other along a line transversely of its longitudinal axis and is inserted in a trousers hip pocket with the central portion or fold at the bottom of the pocket, and includes a device that is quickly insertable into a pocket of the 'billfold and is provided with locking arms which automatically adjust themselves to locking position as the billfold is positioned in a pocket and can easily be moved to releasing position when it is desired to remove the billfold but which positively prevent removing the billfold by pulling its upper end or in any other manner until the locking arms are released.

Still another object of the invention is to afiord a construction that can be manufactured at a very low cost and can be built in as part of a billfolcl or can be used as a separate attachment that is removably insertable into a pocket of a billfold or otherwise removably attached to a billfold or wallet without interfering with its conventional use.

'To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts that will appear clearly from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features being pointed out in the claim following the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation showing a trousers hip pocket with a billfold positioned therein, including a preferred embodiment of the invention as an attachment, the locking arms being illustrated in locking position, and showing the position which the billfold and locking arms assume in relation to the pocket side walls when an attempt is made to withdraw the billfold without releasing the locking arms;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the billfold when folded, with the locking arms in looking position;

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of the billfold when unfolded, and illustrating the locking arms in full lines in locking position and in dotted lines in their releasing position;

Fig. 4 is ,a view in elevation of the supporting plate and locking arms removed from the bill fold, showing the locking arms moved to a position on the supporting plate parallel to the side edges of the latter, and

Fig. 5 is a view in edge elevation of the structure illustrated in Fig. 4, showing the locking arms in looking position, extending in opposite directions away from the side edges of the supporting plate transversely of the longitudinal axis of the latter.

The invention may be applied to the particular type of billfold illustrated, or to abillfold or'wallet of the type that folds along a longitudinal axis rather than a transverse axis, and it may be built into the billfold as a part thereof or constructed as a separate removable unit insertable into a pocket of the billfold, and in the construction illustrated, which includes a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is employed a thin supporting plate I of metal stock .or other suitable material a few thousandths of an inch thick so that it can be inserted into a billfold pocket without occupying much thickness or interfering with the other contents.

The supporting plate I is inserted from the central portion of the billfold toward one end so that when the billfold is positioned in a garment pocket with the fold at the 'bottom'of the pocket, the supporting plate is 'held against removal from the billfold and the locking means which is arranged at the bottom or exposed end of the supporting plate is in position to engage the side walls of the garment pocket and prevent unauthorized removal of the billfold.

To accomplish this, the supporting plate I is provided with locking devices that are movable to a locking position in which they extend in opposite directions away from the edges of the supporting plate and billfold and transversely thereof, or to a releasing position where they are withdrawn toward the edges of the supporting plate and billfold and permit removal of the latter from the garment pocket. This is accomplished in the structure shown by means of pivoted locking arms each of which includes a pivotal portion 2 pivoted at 3 to the supporting plate I at a point adjacent one end and in close proximity to its side edge. Each locking arm also has a body portion 4 that is offset from the pivotal portion 2 by an outwardly extending connecting portion 5, the connecting portion 5 being such as to permit the body portion of the locking arm to swing over the outer wall of the billfold pocket when in releasing position. The body portion 4 is also provided with an enlarged rounded end portion 6 preferably with a serrated edge for gripping engagement with the side wall of the garment pocket.

When the supporting plate is inserted into a billfold pocket and the latter inserted after folding into a trousers pocket, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the locking arms which are loosely pivoted on the supporting plate fall by gravity to the horizontal position shown, or if they do not assume a completely horizontal position, when an attempt is made to withdraw the billfold by pulling on its upper end, the resistance ofiered by frictional engagement between the ends of the locking arms and the side walls of the trousers pocket instantly pulls the locking arms to their lowermost locking position so that the billfold cannot be withdrawn from the pocket.

In order to limit further downward movement of each locking arm when in locking position, the supporting plate I is preferably provided with stops 1 at the lower corners of the supporting plate, and each located in the path of the pivotal portion of a locking arm so that as'the latter swings outwardly and downwardly by its own weight or otherwise, it engages the stop I, which retains it against downward movement beyond the locking position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The locking arms can be easily and freely moved upwardly to releasing position when desired to remove the billfold.

In operation, the supporting plate I is inserted into a billfold pocket and when it is desired to insert the billfold into a trousers pocket, the locking arms may be swung outwardly to the position illustrated in Fig. 3, whereupon the billfold is folded and inserted downwardly into the trousers pocket until it occupies the position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. During this movement, the locking arms will swing upwardly somewhat in relation to the supporting plate, and after the billfold is in its lowermost position, the

locking arms assume their locking position either by falling of their own weight or by being moved down into such locking position, which can readily be done as the billfold is inserted. When desired to remove the billfold, it is a simple matter to reach into the pocket and push the locking arms upwardly until they assume a position generally parallel to the side edges of the. supporting plate and billfold, while at the same time withdrawing the billfold from the pocket.

The supporting plate may be attached in any convenient way, and in the case of a billiold or wallet that folds along a longitudinal axis, the supporting plate may be detachably or otherwise secured to an edge of one of the folding parts, so as to hold the locking arms in position to engage the side walls of the garment pocket and retain the billfold against unauthorized removal.

While the invention has been described with reference to the particular embodiment shown, it is not confined to this precise application or to the details illustrated, and this application is intended to cover such modifications or changes as may come within the intent of the improvement or the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

A safety attachment for a billfold including a supporting plate arranged between adjacent laminations of one of the foldable sections of the billfold, a pair of locking arms pivotally mounted at one end of the supporting plate with said end positioned adjacent to the line of fold and between the foldable sections of the billfold, each of said locking arms being offset perpendicular to the plane of the plate to clear the adjacent lap of the billfold, said arms being movable freely in opposite directions and by gravity downwardly and outwardly from a vertical position to a horizontal position extending perpendicularly to the side edges of the billfold when the billfold is positioned in a pocket with the line of fold adjacent to the bottom of the pocket, the arms when in said horizontal positions extending from opposite sides of the billfold throughout a distance slightly greater than the width of the pocket opening and no greater than the width of the body of the pocket, and stop devices carried by the supporting plate in the path of the locking arms limiting their downward movement.

HAROLD E. STONEBRAKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 160,630 Wheeler Mar. 9, 1875 163,017 Knapp May 11, 1875 1,121,465 Brown Dec. 15, 1914 1,404,278 Davis Jan. 24, 1922 1,446,293 Gilmore Feb. 20, 1923 1,610,382 Jeffries Dec. 14, 1926 2,176,387 Blakey Oct. 17, 1939 2,312,100 Ketcik Feb. 23, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 257,527 Italy Mar. 7, 1928 

